SERICEA LESPEDEZA (LESPEDEZA CUNEATA): SEED DISPERSAL, MONITORING, AND EFFECT ON SPECIES RICHNESS by

Sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont) G. Don] is a rangeland weed of the tallgrass prairie of Kansas. Experiments were carried out during the 2001-2003 growing seasons (June-November) to examine the relationship between sericea lespedeza and other rangeland species, wildlife use and dispersal of sericea lespedeza propagules, and the relationship between sericea lespedeza stubble height and utilization by livestock. Sericea lespedeza cover was positively correlated with violet lespedeza (r=0.25) [Lespedeza violacea (L.) Pers.], heath aster (Aster ericoides L.) (r=0.23) and total forb cover (r=0.56). Sericea lespedeza composition was negatively correlated with big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman.) (r=-0.27) and sideoats grama [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx. Torr.)] (r=-0.27) composition and positively correlated with western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya D.C.) (r=0.21) and violet lespedeza (r=0.36) composition. Sericea lespedeza density was inversely related to forb species richness on all sites. On half the sites, there was also an inverse relationship between grass species richness and sericea lespedeza density. Grazed sites had less difference in grass specie